Here's a twist on traditional gazpacho. Instead of a tomato base, I use mangos. Add traditional gazpacho ingredients such as red peppers, cucumbers, cilantro and citrus juices and you have a great refreshing summer soup. Garnish with fresh mint or edible flower blossoms.
Recipe of the Month
Mango Spacho Serves approximately 8 to 10
4 to 5 large mangos, peeled, pitted and
cut into 1/4 inch dice (you can also use frozen mangos if available. Dole makes an individually quick frozen mango product that is available in major markets. If using frozen, thaw in refrigerator overnite.)
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut
into a 1/4 inch dice
1 jalapeno chili pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 cup finely chopped grenn onion
1/2 cup chopped red pepepr
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups of mango nector (if available)
or apple juice (more if soup is too thick)
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
white pepper to taste
Place 3 of the chopped mangos into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a large steel blade.
Pulse to puree. Add apple juice or mango nectar through the processor feed tube while processor is running.
Puree for several minutes to remove any chunks of mango.
Place puree into a large container.
Add the diced red bell pepper and remaining one diced mango into the pureed soup.
Add the chopped green onion.
Peel cucumbers and slice in half. Remove the seeds of the cucumber by using a teaspoon and gently taking them out. Dice and add to the soup.
Add the chopped cilantro, basil and lemon, lime and orange juices.
Remove the rib from the jalapeno pepper and mince.
To remove the rib, cut in half and carefully put your knife under the rib portion. Also remove all the seeds as the seeds are very hot.
Make sure to wash your hands well after working with jalapenos. You can also wear dispoable gloves to make sure the heat of the peppers does not get on your hands.
Add the minced jalapeno peppers along with salt and white pepper into the soup.
Stir soup to combine. Chill for several hours or overnite.
Serve garnished with a fresh edible flower or fresh mint.